1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage box, particularly to an improved storage box which is used to store flat articles, such as audio cassettes and compact discs (CD), therein and which is relatively easy to manufacture.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a conventional storage box (A) for storing of flat articles. The conventional storage box (A) was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,177 and includes a housing 11, a pair of left and right separate plates 12, two rear spring boards 13, a top plate 14, and a flexible sliding door 15. The housing 11 has a top wall, a bottom wall, a right side wall, a left side wall and a rear wall which are connected to one another to form a front opening. The housing 11 further has two opposite front flanges (ff) projecting from the left and right side walls at the front opening. The bottom wall has an elongated positioning groove 11' which is substantially parallel to the left and right side walls and a rear elongated access slot 11" which is located adjacent to and substantially parallel to the rear wall. Each of the left and right plates 12 has a guiding rail 12' which extends along a rear side, a top side and a front side thereof, a plurality of inwardly projecting racks 12" which are spaced vertically, and a horizontal groove (g) which is located above the racks 12". Each of the left and right plates 12 further has a rear plate-like flange 121 which projects perpendicularly therefrom between the racks 12" and the guiding rail 12". The top plate 14 is provided with a vertical partition plate 14', which extends downwardly therefrom and which is parallel to the left and right plates 12, and a back panel 14" which projects laterally from a rear side of the vertical partition plate 14' and which is perpendicular to the top plate 14.
In assembly, the left and right plates 12 are respectively pressed against the left and right side walls of the housing 11 and are firmly fitted between the rear wall and the front flanges (ff) of the housing 11. The top plate 14 and the vertical partition plate 14' are inserted into the housing 11 by sliding the same along the horizontal grooves (g) of the left and right plates 12 and the elongated positioning groove 11' of the bottom wall of the housing 11. Afterwards, the spring boards 13 are screwed to the rear plate-like flanges 121 of the left and right plates 12 and the back panel 14" which is connected to the vertical partition plate 14'. The flexible sliding door 15 is pushed into the housing 11 through the rear elongated access slot 11" of the bottom wall of the housing 11. The sliding door 15 has two opposite ends which engage slidably and respectively the guiding rails 12' of the left and right plates 12. In this way, the conventional storage box (A) is assembled. Such a conventional storage box (A) can provide a strong and durable construction and can minimize the problem of dusting the sliding door. However, since the housing 11 confines a relatively small space, proper placement of the components of the storage box (A) in the housing 11 cannot be accomplished conveniently.